Ecuador: International Organizations Warn of a Rapid Deterioration of Human Rights
- Seven international organizations denounce the climate of repression and militarization.
- The report prepared following a visit to Ecuador, includes on-the-ground interviews with various communities, human rights defenders, local authorities, and representatives of the international community.
Quito, September 10, 2026. Following an observation visit conducted in March 2026, the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) and the World Organization Against Torture (OMCT), within the framework of the Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, Front Line Defenders (FLD), CIVICUS: Global Alliance for Citizen Participation, 11.11.11 – Coalition for International Solidarity, the Association of Human Rights Lawyers, Judges, and Prosecutors of Latin America and the Caribbean (Asociación de Abogadas, Abogados, Jueces y Fiscales de Derechos Humanos de América Latina y el Caribe – AJUFIDH), Peace Brigades International (PBI), and the World Rainforest Movement (WRM) are publishing a joint report today that warns of the rapid deterioration of the human rights and environmental situation in Ecuador.
Against a backdrop marked by the militarization of public security, the weakening of the rule of law, and a growing link between extractive conflicts and the securitization of territories, the report, “Criminalization and Attacks Against Civil Society in the Context of Militarization and Extractivism in Ecuador,” presents the following findings:
Setback in the Rule of Law
Since March 2024, the government has repeatedly imposed states of emergency, declared internal armed conflict, and expanded the role of the Armed Forces in public safety, thereby normalizing exceptional measures that have failed to reduce public insecurity in the country. On the contrary, the number of violent deaths has reached historic highs, and serious human rights violations are being reported in militarized areas, with disproportionate impacts on Indigenous peoples, Afrodescendant communities, and rural campesino communities.
“Ecuador stands at a crossroads: either it strengthens the rule of law or it deepens the crisis. Exceptional measures cannot become the new normal, and socioenvironmental conflicts cannot be resolved through the militarization of territories. A security policy in the country must address the multidimensional causes of violence and must adhere to international law,” states Soraya Gutierrez, Secretary General of the FIDH.
Institutional Weakening
The organizations note attacks on the Constitutional Court, challenges to judicial independence, delays in the administration of justice, and in the enforcement of court rulings, as well as an insufficient response from the Defensoría del Pueblo (Ombudsman’s Office / People's Advocate Office) to the criminalization and freezing of bank accounts of human rights defenders and civil society organizations. In this regard, César Sivo, president of AJUFIDH, states that “judicial independence is non-negotiable: without autonomous powers, the rule of law vanishes and justice becomes a mirage.”
Criminalization of Protest and Shrinking of Civic Space
The report identifies patterns of violent repression against peaceful protests led by Indigenous movements, including criminalization, stigmatization, and the persecutory use of administrative, financial, and legal measures against human rights defenders and civil society organizations.
“We observed a concerning and accelerating deterioration of civic space. The violent repression of the 2025 national strike, coupled with the increase in threats and attacks against journalists, as well as regulatory obstacles to the operation of civil society organizations, create an increasingly hostile environment for the exercise of civic freedoms,” emphasized Eduardo Marenco, Advocacy Officer for the Americas at CIVICUS.
Attacks on Human Rights and Environmental Defenders, and on Civil Society Organizations and Social Movements
The visit documents an alarming rate of violence and attacks against human rights and environmental defenders and civil society organizations, with particular attention to cases of criminalization, while the State fails to acknowledge the scale of this problem and adopt robust and effective measures to prevent these violations and protect defenders.
“Defending human rights and nature is not a crime, as Ecuador’s own Constitution recognizes. The criminalization, stigmatization, and attacks against defenders in Ecuador must cease immediately. The State has an obligation to protect those who defend the rights of their communities, not to persecute them,” says Álvaro Gómez del Valle, Advocacy Lead for the Americas at Front Line Defenders.
The Rise of Extractivism
Far from being a mere sectoral economic policy, extractivism—which spans the mining, oil, agro-industrial, fishing, and hydroelectric sectors—emerges as a web of regulatory, institutional, and security decisions that favor its expansion in the name of economic growth and investment stability in the country. This dynamic occurs at the expense of guarantees of participation, protection of rights, and compliance with democratic and judicial decisions, without respecting Ecuador’s international human rights obligations, which ultimately affect community governance, livelihoods, and the ability of communities to make free and informed decisions regarding their own territories.
Regarding this serious issue, Carla Moscoso, Coordinator for the Andean Region of 11.11.11, notes that “What is at stake is who decides on the territories, which ways of life are protected, and who bears the social and environmental costs of the conflicts, in the face of certain perspectives or categories such as ‘national interest,’ ‘strategic security,’ or ‘strategic sectors.’”
Among their urgent recommendations, the organizations urge the Ecuadorian government to:
- Align security policies with the principles of legality, necessity, and proportionality, with civilian and judicial oversight over the use of force.
- Guarantee the independence of public authorities.
- Put an end to the stigmatization and criminalization of protesters, individuals, and organizations defending human and nature rights.
- Protect human rights and nature defenders and groups through comprehensive policies that incorporate a gender and intercultural perspective.
- Respect the free, prior, and informed consent of communities affected by extractive projects.
At the same time, the organizations call on the international community to:
- Not normalize the erosion of human rights as a cost of security policies and economic development initiatives.
- Strengthen monitoring and support for human rights defenders and civil society organizations.
“The international community cannot look the other way. Ecuador needs strong support to protect those who defend rights. Our organizations will remain vigilant through international oversight and will closely monitor the human rights situation in the country,” emphasized the signatory organizations.
